Risk Factors for Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction Positivity for SARS-CoV-2 among Health Care Workers in a Group of Tertiary Care Hospitals in Mumbai: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Health Care Workers (HCWs) can acquire or transmit Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) from and to patients respectively There is limited data on risk factors for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARSCoV-2) infection among HCWs Aim: To evaluate the risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection amongst HCWs of tertiary care hospitals in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India Materials and Methods: A questionnaire based crosssectional study was conducted among 801 HCWs from three tertiary care hospitals Data regarding demography, comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, immunosuppressive therapy, asthma), symptoms, contact with confirmed cases of COVID-19 and protective precautions at the work place was collected Infection diagnosed by Respiratory Tract samples-Reverse Trancriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test was correlated with the above factors Results: Of the participants, 50 1% were working in designated COVID-19 area;85 1% had no co-morbidity A total of 62 of the 801 (7 75%) HCWs had a history of positive RT-PCR for SARSCoV-2 Only asthma was associated with a significant higher in infection rate Loss of taste/smell (30%), acute febrile illness (46 4%), acute respiratory illness (18 5%) were more common in persons with RT-PCR positivity (p<0 05) Visit to fever clinic, positive household member, and a definite history of exposure to a COVID-19 positive patient, were significantly associated with higher risk of infection Working in designated COVID-19 hospital was not a significant risk factor (8 5% vs 5 6%) HCWs on Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) prophylaxis had significantly lower rate of infection Conclusion: Rate of SARS-CoV-2 positivity among HCWs was 7 7% Presence of symptoms, especially, loss of taste/smell, fever and respiratory symptoms are associated with high positive rates Working in a designated COVID hospital was not a risk factor for increased rate of infection HCQ prophylaxis is associated with reduced rate of COVID-19 among HCWs [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Clinical & Diagnostic Research is the property of JCDR Research & Publications Private Limited and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder s express written permission However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use This abstract may be abridged No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract (Copyright applies to all Abstracts )